Middle East Crisis Iran War

Israel: Waiting for US green light to bomb Iran into the Stone Age

Israel is seeking US approval for new attacks on Iran. Defense Minister Israel Katz says this according to the Times of Israel.

– We are waiting for the green light to wipe out the Khamenei dynasty and bomb Iran into the Stone Age by destroying energy facilities and infrastructure, says Katz.

According to the defense minister, Israel is planning an attack that will “shake the Iranian regime to its foundations,” writes Haaretz.

Attacks on civilian infrastructure constitute a violation of international law, international law expert Mark Klamberg tells Aftonbladet. 

Khamenei delegates power over Iran to the generals

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, is not currently making decisions about the war and possible peace negotiations. He has delegated that power to the generals in the Revolutionary Guard. This is stated by a number of Iranian politicians and officials to the New York Times.

Mojtaba Khamenei was injured in the attack that killed his father and representative, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on February 28. He has not appeared in public since then. He is still being treated for serious injuries to his face and legs and one hand, but is reportedly in a clear state of mind.

To avoid his whereabouts being revealed, he receives few visitors and communicates only with handwritten messages passed from courier to courier. The difficulties of communicating with him at all are a major factor behind the decision to delegate power, writes the New York Times. 

Time limit in law could put pressure on Trump to end the war in as little as a week

A law from the 1970s could force US President Donald Trump to end the war in Iran as early as May 1 if he does not receive congressional support to continue, writes the New York Times. The law gives a president the right to start a war without consulting Congress under certain circumstances, but only for 60 days.

Republicans have so far blocked a series of attempts by Democrats to end the war. But several Republicans have already announced that they will not vote to give Trump the green light to continue the war beyond the 60-day deadline.

However, the law allows the president to continue the operation for another 30 days on his own initiative if necessary to safely withdraw troops.

Congress can also vote to give the military operation the green light to continue without any further time limit, which a group of Republicans is working on.